2000 Unbiased Reviews Since 1999
or Browse:
Type
Brand
Price
Need
Jump to a part

Olympus PEN E-PL1

Digital Camera Review
May 19, 2010 By Steve Morgenstern 0 Comments (add your own)

Previous: Page 10

Noise Reduction

Next: Page 12

Low Light
Page 11

Dynamic Range

Dynamic Range (4.15)

The dynamic range problems we found with the Olympus E-P1 continue here; in fact, the E-PL1 had slightly less success maintaining detail in the bright and dark areas of high-contrast images than its predecessor.

The E-PL1 started out with a mediocre five-stop range at its lowest ISO setting, which narrowed quickly and dramatically as the ISO level increased. More on how we test dynamic range.

Dynamic Range Across ISO Levels
ISO 200
4.54
ISO 400
4.19
ISO 800
3.54
ISO 1600
2.63
ISO 3200
1.83
0
1
2
3
4
6
Dynamic Range (f-stops)

The E-PL1 results are nearly identical to those produced by the E-P1, which is not a good sign. An interesting oddity here is that the Samsung NX10, which uses an APS-C sensor, scored nearly as badly here as the Micro Four Thirds models.

Taking dynamic range performance across the entire ISO range into account, the E-PL1 received the lowest score in our comparison group.

Dynamic Range Score Comparison
Olympus PEN E-PL1
4.15
Olympus PEN E-P1
4.6
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
5.31
Nikon D5000
7.93
Samsung NX10
5.73
2
4
6
10
Dynamic Range Score
Jump to a part

Shop for the Olympus PEN E-PL1

Advertisement

Shop for the Olympus PEN E-PL1

Loading Recently Viewed Products
Advertisement

Latest News
& Reviews

Top Rated Digital SLRs

  • Canon EOS 5D Mark III
    Canon EOS 5D Mark III
    $3,499.00
     1

    Canon EOS 5D Mark III

    We have finally put the Canon 5D Mark III through a full, rigorous performance test and it sits among the best DSLRs we've ever tested. Read our full review to see how Canon has improved in all the areas the 5D Mark II struggled. Read full 7-part review

    $3,499.00
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
  • Sony Alpha A77
    Sony Alpha A77
    $1,999.99
     2

    Sony Alpha A77

    Sony's blazing fast, top-of-the-line SLT A77 has just about everything we could ask for in a modern system camera. Read full 7-part review

    $1,999.99
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
  • Nikon D5100
    Nikon D5100
    $799.00
     3

    Nikon D5100

    The D5100 is the latest entry-level DSLR from Nikon, with full 1080/30p video, an articulated LCD, and the same image sensor as the D7000. It lacks an internal focus motor, but we found it produced some of the most accurate colors we've seen yet. Read full 7-part review

    $799.00
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
    16.2
  • Sony Alpha NEX-7
    Sony Alpha NEX-7
    $1,349.99
     4

    Sony Alpha NEX-7

    We've put the 24.3-megapixel Sony NEX-7 through our full battery of tests, and the writing's on the wall: the NEX-7 is the best mirrorless camera yet. Read full 7-part review

    $1,349.99
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels
  • Fujifilm X-Pro1
    Fujifilm X-Pro1
    $1,700.00
     5

    Fujifilm X-Pro1

    Fujifilm's old-school X-Pro1 is not only the company's best camera, but one of the best mirrorless models we've ever tested. Read full 7-part review

    $1,700.00
    Read full 7-part review
    Types
    Any Megapixels
    0,8
    < 8 Megapixels
    8,10
    8 to 10 Megapixels
    10,15
    10 to 15 Megapixels
    15,
    > 15 Megapixels

Features

Advertisement
Olympus PEN E-PL1
Digital Camera Review
0 Comments
(add your own)

Previous: Page 10

Noise Reduction

Next: Page 12

Low Light